Below is an excerpt from a presentation I gave on November 8, 2013 for the Ohio Association of Justice Seminar.  A broader overview of Ohio’s Dormant Mineral’s Act can be found here.

I.  Introduction

Commencing in the spring of 2010, eastern Ohio experienced an unprecedented oil and gas leasing boom due to the discovery of the Utica Shale.  In the recent past, Ohio landowners might expect to receive $10-20/acre for signing an oil and gas lease.  Presently, prices in the range of $3,000-6,000 have become the norm.  Hundreds of wells have now been drilled throughout eastern Ohio into the Utica shale, with some being prolific producers.…

This is the first part of a series of articles about Ohio’s Dormant Minerals Act.  Click here for a more detailed description of how Ohio Courts interpret Ohio’s Dormant Minerals Act.

Oil and gas companies go to great lengths to determine if the person who signed a lease is in fact the true owner of the minerals.  It is not uncommon for a landowner to sign a lease and only be paid for 1/2 of what was originally promised, simply because the landowner only actually owned 1/2 of the minerals underneath her land.  At that point, the oil and gas company tracks down the other 1/2 mineral owner so they can enjoy the full benefits of leasing a 100% mineral interest. …